Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, has said that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu is interested in a stable academic calendar for tertiary institutions in the country.
He also revealed that the Federal Government is reviewing the security architecture for schools so as to guarantee safety of students and teachers across the country.
Mamman spoke during an event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) in Abuja.
He noted that government increased the salaries of workers in tertiary institutions as part of its commitment to the welfare of the academic community.
He urged universities in the country, being the intellectual powerhouse, to establish suitable engagement with the industrial sector as partners to move the country from import-dependent to an industrialised and manufacturing hub.
The minister also challenged the committee to place Nigerian universities among global institutions that use science and technology as measures for solving their problems.
He said the foundation of industrialisation of most countries rested in university research activities.
“Ensure placement of Nigeria in the comity of nations that use science and technology as measures for solving problems in power (energy), youth unemployment, engineering and allied sciences; medicine, pharmaceutical products and other health sciences; agriculture and agro-allied products.
“Your laboratories and scientists should be fully busy harnessing the country’s natural resources along these and many more,” he said.
He also said that with regard to energy, steps had been taken to power the universities through gas-powered facilities using the PPP window as provided by the government.
“The scheme is intended to start with 18 universities in the first instance, adding that shortlisted universities will be contacted at the appropriate stage of the project.
“The centrality of the power to service delivery, research and cost savings cannot be overemphasised.
“Due to the recognition of the centrality of the education sector, a committee was set up to provide a roadmap to guide policy, provide implementation plans, deliverables and key performance indicators.
“And the timeline was put in place and the report of the committee is expected to be submitted this month,” he said.
The education minister noted that the government is interested in having a stable academic calendar for appropriate learning; research, collaboration and student exchange to take place.
Also speaking at the event, the secretary-general of the CVCNU, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, who gave a brief history of the committee since its creation in 1962, noted that the University of Ibadan remained the only university with the highest number of vice chancellors since its existence.
He said: “We have made a lot of improvement in the university system, there is room for more improvement and we believe that now that we have opened our doors, our stakeholders can look at us and say this is how we can support the system.
“It’s not only the Federal Government, state and private actors that can invest in the university system. It ‘s about all of us because education is for the entire ecosystem. How are the alumni supporting their alma maters? These are some of the supports we are talking about,” he stated.
